United News of Bangladesh

Speakers at a seminar on Thursday highlighted Bangladesh’s role as an active voice in global climate diplomacy, combating climate change and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They noted that the country is among the least carbon emitters, but remains highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) organised the seminar titled “Application of Carbon Financing: Challenges and Policy Options for Bangladesh” at the BIISS auditorium. State Minister of Finance Waseqa Ayesha Khan spoke as the chief guest while Chairman of BIISS Ambassador AFM Gousal Azam Sarker moderated and wrapped the session up with some remarks. Carbon financing can be a useful instrument in this regard and it assigns a monetary value to carbon emissions and enables businesses willing to offset their own emissions to purchase carbon credits generated by sustainable initiatives, they observed. The Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) from Bangladesh sold over 2.53 million carbon credits equivalent to US$16.25 million - between 2006-2023 - and there remain greater prospects for the country. The speakers focused on the need of establishing comprehensive policy guidelines, raising awareness, and effective participation of all relevant stakeholders. Director General of BIISS Major General Md Abu Bakar Siddique Khan delivered the welcome address. Research Director of BIISS Dr Mahfuz Kabir presented the keynote paper titled “Pathways of Carbon Financing: Imperatives for Bangladesh”. The Keynote presentation was followed by a panel discussion. The panel was consisted of Eun Joo Allison Yi, senior environment specialist, the World Bank; Arif M. Faisal, programme specialist, UNDP, Bangladesh; Alamgir Morshed, Executive Director and CEO, Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL); Shams Mahmud, Managing Director, Shasha Denims Ltd and Director, BGMEA; and Dr Md Nazrul Islam, Additional Foreign Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh. Senior officials from different ministries, diplomatic missions, media, researchers, businesspeople, teachers and students from various universities, representatives from different think tanks, international organisations, participated in the seminar and enriched it by presenting their valuable opinions, comments, suggestions, and observations during the open discussion session.

Forbes, one of the world’s prestigious business magazines, has published the list of its ninth annual 30 Under 30 Asia, Class of 2024 on Wednesday, including nine Bangladeshi rising stars. The list, in which many Bangladeshi young professionals have made their respective places before, addresses 300 changemakers in 10 categories who are transforming their industries while making positive impacts in society. These categories are: Entertainment & Sports, Finance & Venture Capital, Enterprise Technology, Media, Marketing & Advertising, Consumer Technology, Industry, Manufacturing & Energy, The Arts (Art & Style, Food & Drink), Social Impact, Retail & Ecommerce And Healthcare & Science. Among these, Bangladeshi multidisciplinary artist Anusha Alamgir is listed in The Arts (Art & Style, Food & Drink) category; award-winning freelance journalist Redwan Ahmed has been listed in the Media, Marketing and Advertising category; Mehedi Shoron has been recognized in the Consumer Technology category; and the Finance and Venture Capital category included six youngstars including Fahad Ahmed, Sultan Moni, Mumtahina Anika, Md Shahidul Islam, Abdul Gaffar Sadi, and Md Tushar. ‘Well done, Sakib!’: US Embassy congratulates Sakib Jamal for making it to Forbes' 30 Under 30 list Anusha Alamgir Anusha Alamgir (28) is a Bangladeshi multidisciplinary artist with a Master's degree in architecture from the Royal College of Art in London. She was the only female Bangladeshi to exhibit in the 18th International Architecture Exhibition at the 2023 Venice Biennale with a film called 'Porda - which means 'veil' in Bangla - addressing Muslim veiling practices. Alamgir's artistic practices apply architectural concepts to sculpture, painting, photography and performance, while also exploring contemporary issues in Bangladesh such as the female body image and the so-called male gaze. Her work has been exhibited by the Oitij-jo Collective in London, at the La-La Land Gallery in Los Angeles and the Drik Picture Library in Dhaka. Alamgir is also the founder of the online thrift store Colors Dhaka. Redwan Ahmed Redwan Ahmed (28) is an award-winning freelance journalist who goes after the biggest stories in Bangladesh. His coverage of the Rohingya crisis for Agence France-Presse earned him the 22nd Human Rights Press Award and his investigations for the British news outlet The Guardian unveiled the exploitation of Bangladeshi garment factory workers. Beyond reporting, Redwan co-founded the Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media, dedicated to protecting local journalists. Ahmed was named a fellow in the 2021 Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalism program. PM Hasina 46th most powerful woman in the world, according to Forbes Mehedi Shoron Mehedi Shoron (24) is the co-founder of HelloTask, the "Uber for maid service" in Bangladesh. The app offers hourly bookings, monthly subscriptions, verification of the maids it employs, and safety features to protect them from exploitation or violence. HelloTask has raised funding from investors as well as grants from the World Bank and Oxfam. The company hopes to expand its force of maids to 100,000 by 2025 and explore international markets. Fahad Ahmed Fahad Ahmed (25) is the co-founder of Wind.App, a cross-border remittance platform that uses blockchain technology and stablecoins to offer faster and cheaper transactions. Founded in 2022, the startup secured $3.8 million in pre-seed funding led by Global Founders Capital and Spartan Group in November. Before Wind, Fahad was part of the founding team and head of product at Pathao, where he launched services such as food delivery, payments, and ride-hailing in Bangladesh and Nepal. A self-taught coder, Fahad earned a bachelor's degree in finance and economics from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Dhaka University. Sultan Moni and Mumtahina Anika Sultan Moni and Mumtahina Anika co-founded Dhaka-based fintech startup Zatiq, aiming to help small companies better manage their accounting with software and hardware that are easy to adopt. One example is a business calculator that can be synced with smartphones to track finances and generate reports. Zatiq also offers a simple way for small businesses to start an ecommerce website. In August, Zatiq raised a $1.6 million pre-seed funding round led by Dekko ISHO Venture Capital. Abdul Gaffar Sadi, Md Tushar and Md Shahidul Islam Abdul Gaffar Sadi, Md Tushar and Md Shahidul Islam founded Dhaka-based Drutoloan, which translates to 'quick loan' in English. The company helps micro and small businesses get lending from banks and financing companies, helping them with the paperwork and helping lenders assess creditworthiness. Since starting in 2019, the co-founders said the company disbursed over $2 million in loans. In November it raised $125,000 in pre seed funding. The 2023 Forbes’ 30 under 30 list featured seven Bangladeshi young professionals in different categories.  

The Local Government Division has received the highest allocation of some Tk 38,808.88 crore in the new Annual Development Programme (ADP) for 2024-2025 fiscal year approved by the National Economic Council on Thursday. The allocation is 15 percent of the overall ADP’s outlay of Tk 265,000 crores. The ADP was cleared in a meeting presided over by NEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the NEC Conference room in the city's Sher-e Bangla Nagar area. Planning Minister Abdus Salam, State Minister for Planning Shahiduzzaman Sarker and Planning Division Senior Secretary Satyajit Karmaker briefed reporters after the meeting. Among the highest 10 allocation recipient ministries and divisions, Road Transport and Highways Division received the second highest allocation with Tk 32,042 crore (12.39pc), while Power Division with Tk 29,177 crore (11.28pc), Primary and Mass Education Ministry with Tk 16,136 crore (6.24pc), Health Services Division with Tk 13,741 crore (5.31pc ), Railways Ministry with Tk 13,726 crore (5.31pc), Science and Technology Ministry with Tk 12,887 crore (4.98pc), Secondary and Higher Education Division with Tk 11,388 crore (4.40pc), Shipping Ministry with Tk 10,373 crore (4.01pc) and Water Resources Ministry with Tk 8, 687 crore (3.36pc). The total allocation against the 10 ministries or divisions is around Tk 186,965 crore, which is some 72 percent of the overall ADP outlay. In sector-wise allocation, the transport and communication sector received the highest allocation of Tk 70, 687.75 crore (26. 67pc of total ADP’s outlay). Among the top 10 sectors in terms of allocation, the power and energy sector received the 2nd highest allocation of around Tk 40,752 crore (15.38pc) followed by education sector with Tk 31,529 crore (11.36pc), housing community facilities with Tk 24,868 crore (9.38pc), health sector with Tk 20,683 crore (7.80pc), local government and rural development with Tk 17,986 crore (6.79pc), agriculture sector with Tk 13,220 crore (4.99pc), environment, climate change and water resources with Tk 11,089 crore (4.18pc), industry and economic services with Tk 6,492 crore (2.45pc) and science and information technology sector with Tk 4,786 crore (1.25pc). Besides, the NEC approved some Tk 13,288.91-crore ADP of the autonomous bodies or corporations. In the new ADP, the total number of projects is 1,321 including 1,133 investment projects, 21 survey projects, 87 technical assistance projects and 80 projects from the autonomous bodies and corporations.

The National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday approved the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the fiscal year of 2024-2025 with an outlay of Tk 265,000 crores. The transport and communication sector got the highest allocation of Tk 70, 687.75 crore (26. 67pc of allocation) in the ADP. Besides, the NEC approved some Tk 13,288.91-crore ADP of the autonomous bodies or corporations. The approval came from the NEC meeting presided over by NEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the NEC Conference room in the city's Sher-e Bangla Nagar area. Planning Minister Abdus Salam, State Minister for Planning Shahiduzzaman Sarker and Planning Division Senior Secretary Satyajit Karmaker briefed reporters after the meeting. “Among the Tk 265,000 crores, Tk 165,000 crore will be financed from domestic sources, while the rest Tk 100,000 crore from foreign sources,” said Satyajit Karmaker at the press briefing. In the new ADP, the total number of projects is 1,321 including 1,133 investment projects, 21 survey projects, 87 technical assistance projects and 80 projects from the autonomous bodies and corporations, he said. Like the previous years, the conditions of the country’s resources and macroeconomic conditions, and foreign financing were considered during designing the ADP for 2024-2025 FY, said the planning secretary. In terms of allocation, priority has been given to projects related to agriculture and agro-based industries to maintain food security, power sector, labour efficiency and poverty reduction amid the current global economic context, he added. Out of the Tk 13,288.91-crore ADP of the autonomous bodies or corporations, Tk 11,698.96 crore will be mobilized from internal resources, while the remaining Tk 1,589.95 crore from foreign sources, said the secretary. So, with the 13,288.91 crore ADP for autonomous bodies or corporations, the total size of ADP for 2024-2025 has stood at Tk 278,288.91 crore, he said. Among the top 10 sectors in terms of allocation, the power and energy sector received the 2nd highest allocation of around Tk 40,752 crore (15.38pc) followed by education sector with Tk 31,529 crore (11.36pc), housing community facilities with Tk 24,868 crore (9.38pc), health sector with Tk 20,683 crore (7.80pc), local government and rural development with Tk 17,986 crore (6.79pc), agriculture sector with Tk 13,220 crore (4.99pc), environment, climate change and water resources with Tk 11,089 crore (4.18pc), industry and economic services with Tk 6,492 crore (2.45pc) and science and information technology sector with Tk 4,786 crore (1.25pc). The total allocation against the top 10 sectors is some Tk 242,093 crore (90.25pc of the total ADP). According to the new ADP for FY25, the highest 10 allocation recipient ministries and divisions are Local Government Division with some Tk 38,809 crore (15pc of allocation), Road Transport and Highways Division with Tk 32,042 crore (12.39pc), Power Division with Tk 29,177 crore (11.28pc), Primary and Mass Education Ministry with Tk 16,136 crore (6.24pc), Health Services Division with Tk 13,741 crore (5.31pc ), Railways Ministry with Tk 13,726 crore (5.31pc), Science and Technology Ministry with Tk 12,887 crore (4.98pc), Secondary and Higher Education Division with Tk 11,388 crore (4.40pc), Shipping Ministry with Tk 10,373 crore (4.01pc) and Water Resources Ministry with Tk 8, 687 crore (3.36pc). The total allocation against the 10 ministries or divisions is around Tk 186,965 crore, which is some 72 percent of the overall ADP outlay.

A microbus caught fire on Dhaka Elevated Expressway in front of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Thursday. Rozina Akhtar, duty officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) headquarters control room, said the microbus caught fire due to overheating of its engine around 12:10pm. Being informed, two firefighting units from nearby Airport station came and doused the fire around 12:40 pm, she said. No casualty was reported, she added.

Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Saber Hossain Chowdhury has said the contribution of women in tackling climate risks is incredibly significant. Women are the pillars of resilience, being 14 times more affected than men, he said while speaking at the Global Dialogue on Demographic Diversity and Sustainable Development in the Climate Change and International Conference on Population and Development held at a city hotel on Thursday. Recognizing women’s role in disaster response, the minister stressed proper assessment of community vulnerability and updating the National Adaptation Plan to prioritize women and children's health, said a media release. The minister also advocated for the MCPP approach, aiming to transition vulnerability into resilience and resilience to prosperity. He also emphasized the need for financing, technology, and capacity building. Want to deepen ties with US to combat climate change: Saber Minister Chowdhury outlined various initiatives undertaken by the government to address climate challenge. He said the government is implementing initiatives to support communities in Bangladesh to adapt and build resilience to climate change impacts. He highlighted the government's active promotion of community-based adaptation programs aimed at empowering local communities to identify and implement strategies to cope with climate change challenges. These programs focus on enhancing community resilience through sustainable agriculture, water management, and disaster preparedness. The minister said the government is investing in climate-resilient infrastructure projects to safeguard critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and buildings from the impacts of extreme weather events like cyclones and floods. Strengthening early warning systems is also a priority to provide timely alerts and evacuation procedures for communities at risk of climate-related disasters. “We are committed to promoting sustainable livelihood options such as eco-friendly agriculture, aquaculture, and alternative energy sources to reduce dependency on climate-vulnerable sectors and enhance community resilience,” said the minister. US Department of State, Eastern Bank to work jointly on climate change adaptation He said large-scale afforestation and reforestation programs are being implemented to increase green cover, mitigate climate change impacts, and enhance biodiversity. Capacity-building programs and awareness campaigns among communities about climate change adaptation strategies, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable environmental practices are also underway, he said, adding that these efforts underscore the government's dedication to building a climate-resilient Bangladesh and ensuring the well-being of its people in the face of climate change challenges. The session was attended by distinguished figures including, Martin Moreti, Minister for Women, Youth, Sports and Social Affairs of the Republic of Kiribati; Diene Kieta, Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director of UNFPA; and Elizabeth Gulugulu, former YOUNGO Global South Focal Point. Neil Datta from the European Parliamentarian Forum moderated the session.      

Several markets and more than 50 tin-roof houses were gutted in a fire at Bhogra bypass area in Gazipur city early Thursday.  The fire started from a tea shop at around 3 am.  Dhaka's air quality ‘unhealthy’, 5th worst in the world this morning Senior Station Officer of Bhogra Fire Service, Md. Ruhul Amin Mollah, said the fire broke out in the market and tin roof houses built on a land owned by one Rafi Matbor, a resident of Bhogra bypass area. On information, two units of Bhogra Fire Service rushed to the spot. Later, two units of Konabari Fire Service joined and brought the fire under control after an hour's effort. JU students seize 16 buses of Moumita Paribahan following student's complaint of molestation by helper The cause of the fire and the extent of damage can be ascertained after investigation. Vehicular movement on the Dhaka-Tangail highway remained suspended for about two hours due to the fire incident. 

A team of Enforcement and Inspection Directorate of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), with the assistance of RAB-04, conducted an operation against the illegal sale and distribution of smart TV boxes and set-top boxes at Shah Ali Plaza Market in Mirpur and Elephant Road. During the operation, a total of 440 unauthorized and unapproved set-top boxes and smart TV boxes were seized from three shops in Shah Ali Plaza Market, and three individuals involved in their sale were arrested. The estimated value of the seized items is approximately Tk 15 lakhs. Additionally, one person was arrested and 537 unauthorized set-top boxes/smart TV boxes were seized from a shop named 'All IT Collection' on Elephant Road. The estimated value of the seized items is approximately Tk 16 lakhs - totaling Tk 31 lakhs. Legal proceedings under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Act, 2001, are underway against the arrested individuals. BTRC is regularly conducting operations to stop the sale of unauthorized set-top boxes and smart TV boxes. All stakeholders are specially requested by BTRC to refrain from buying or selling any type of unauthorized set-top boxes and smart TV boxes. Otherwise, strict actions will be taken against them.

State Minister for Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Shofiqur Rahman Chowdhury said the government is working with the goal of sending workers to Malaysia within the stipulated time. According to the quota, all workers should be sent to Malaysia by May 31 and the government is working to implement it" he said. Talking to reporters after meeting with Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies  (BAIRA) representatives, the state minister said they have sent a letter requesting to extend the time to send workers to Malaysia. "But if they don't extend the time despite our request, it won't be a problem because we are working to implement it focusing on the deadline", he added. "We are unitedly trying to send all quota workers by May 31." Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Employment Secretary Ruhul Amin, Additional Secretary Md. Khairul Alam, Director General of Manpower Employment and Training Bureau Saleh Ahmed Mozaffar and Secretary General of Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies Ali Haider Chowdhury were present.

It will be easier to solve civic problems if a partnership is built between the government and citizens, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat said on Wednesday. “The government will perform its duty. But citizens should also play their roles from their sides . . . if citizens perform their responsibilities spontaneously, then a partnership between the government and citizens can be built, which would help resolve the civic problems easily,” he said. The state minister was talking to reporters after visiting a weeklong waste exhibition in front of the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Office in the city’s Gulshan-2 area this afternoon. He said Dhaka city experiences water-logging even from light raining, but visiting these areas, it was found that drainages of that areas were filled with different types bottles, chips packets and other wastes while canals are filled with big-size wastes like mattresses, sofas, refrigerators and water purifiers. Drive against illegal occupiers to continue: Atiqul Putting emphasis on creating public awareness so the city dwellers don’t throw wastes here and there, he said it is impossible for the city corporation alone to keep the city clean if the dwellers continuously make it dirty without maintaining the rules. Admiring the DNCC authority for organizing such an exhibition, Arafat said it is an excellent initiative to create public awareness. The involvement of school and college students with this exhibition will create awareness about cleanliness among themselves too, which would help them to make the people aware, he added. IFC pays tribute to Atiqur Rahman Salu, Bangladeshi leader of water movement, as he dies in US Not only DNCC and the government, but the Awami League (AL) itself as a political party is also involved in carrying out such an awareness campaign. DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam and AL Office Secretary and Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Barrister Biplab Barua, senior officials of Dhaka North City Corporation and various ward councillors were present on the occasion.